Nicosia, Cyprus. Amazon executive Panos Panay said Europe and Cyprus must prioritise speed, connectivity and human ingenuity to turn technological innovation into real-world impact in the age of artificial intelligence. He said successful technology depends on making people’s lives easier rather than introducing novelty alone.
Conference discussion in Nicosia
Panay spoke on Wednesday during a fireside chat at the ‘Shaping the Next Digital Frontier’ conference in Nicosia. The discussion was held as part of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union and was moderated by Republic of Cyprus chief scientist and Research and Innovation Foundation chairman Demetris Skourides.
Focus on practical value
Panay, Amazon’s senior vice president for devices, Alexa and Leo, said building products at scale while preserving a personal touch remained a difficult balancing act. He said that while novelty and innovation can inspire people and generate public excitement, meaningful products are rooted in basic human needs.
“I s this going to make my customer’s life easier? It’s that simple,” Panay said.
He added that the fundamentals of learning, teaching, reading and writing have remained unchanged for centuries, and that technologies that help people perform these activities more effectively become more valuable.
Assessing product success
Panay, who oversees products including Alexa, Kindle, Fire TV, Ring cameras, Amazon Leo and other emerging technologies, said a product’s long-term success often becomes apparent within the first three months after launch.
He said the first 30 days usually reveal the ingenuity of a product as users experiment with it. By around 60 days, increasing usage indicates that the product is likely to become part of people’s lives, while declining engagement suggests that it may fail to gain traction.